Machine for and method of knitting fabric



Sept. 26, 1939. s 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1958 7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HOWARD GRADY DICKENS BY HIS ATTORNEYS M MM- p 1939. H. e. DICKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1938 7 Sheets Sheet 2 INVENTOR HOWARD GRADY DICKENS BY HIS ATTORNEYS l 1939. H. G. DICKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1938 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 35a 20 B i I 4-.

I if 7/ I 1 1:1

INVENTOR HOWARD GRADY DICKENS F BY HIS ATTORNEYS ep 26, 1939. H. G. DICKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1938 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HOWARD GRADY DICKENS -l BY HIS ATTORNEYS Sept. 1939. H. G. DICKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1938 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q Q Q Q I; Q

INVENTOR- HOWARD GRADY DICKENS BY HIS ATTORNEYS Sept. 26, 1939. H. G. DICKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1938 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 C d 6 f g Tic. ll.

INVE'NTOR HOWARD GRADY DICKENS- BY HIS ATTORNEYS P 1939. H. G. D|CKENS 2,174,439

MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC Filed Dec. 6, 1958 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR 0' HOWARD GRADY DICKENS BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIO' Howard Grady Dickens,

|Scott & Williams,

a corporation of Massachusignor to Laconia, N. 11., setts Thomasville, N. 0., as-

Incorporated,

Application December 6, 1938, Serial No. 244,283

13 Claims.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines and the fabrics knit thereon and more particularly to circular knit hosiery having an elastic thread engaged at suitable wales of courses of the welt and top and to circular knitting machines and methods for the knitting of such hosiery and it is an object of this invention to provide a circular knitting machine arranged to knit a turned welt of plain fabric and a top of ribbed fabric and having means to enage an elastic thread at desired wales in courses of the stocking welt and top and it is a further object of this invention to provide a suitable method for the knitting of said plain and rib fabrics with an elastic thread engaged therein. It is also an object of this invention to provide a stocking having a welt of plain knit fabric and a stocking top of ribbed fabric knit continuously with the stocking welt, both the welt and top having a continuous elastic thread engaged therewith at desired wales in a number of the courses of the welt and top.

In the drawings, in which a preferred construction of this invention is shown in connection with a Scott 8: Williams circular knitting machine.

Figu1 v 1 is a partial view in a horizontal section, partly taken above the dial and partly taken on a plane just above the web holder cam cap and showing in plan view an arrangement of parts for feeding the elastic thread and for controlling web holder and needle operating cams in accordance with this invention, the parts being in position for the feeding of the elastic thread;

Figure 2 is a view sirn' ar to Figure 1 showing the parts as positioned upon the withdrawal of the elastic thread from the needles;

Figure 3 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on a plane below the plane of Figure 1 and showing in plan view an arrangement of parts for making a selection of the intermediate jacks;

Figure 4 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on a plane slightly below the plane of Figure 1 and showing in plan view an arrangement of parts for operating the needles in the taking of the elastic thread;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a means for operating the parts of Figure 3 from a pattern drum;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a means for operating the parts of Fig ure 1 from a pattern drum;

Figure 7 is a view in elevation of a web holder constructed in accordance with this invention to being needles n are operated by for taking embroidery or wrapping yarns,

for use in connection with the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a partial view in side elevation showing the relation of a pattern jack and the intermediate jack in the same needle groove with the upper end of the pattern jack forced outwardly by -a jack selection in the usual manner;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 and showing the moving inward of the upper end of the pattern jacks by the cam which selects the intermediate jacks to raise needles for'taking the elastic thread;

Figure 10 is a development of the cylinder cams, the relation of the needles and jacks thereshown in connection with the cams for operating the needles to take the elastic thread;

Figure 11 is a diagram, drawn to a larger scale, of the loops of portions of the welt and top and showing the relation of the elastic thread thereto in fabric in accordance with this invention; and

Figure 12 is a view of a half-hose knit in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings the invention is shown in connection with a Scott 8: Williams circular knitting machine, such as is shown in the Scott Patent No. 1,641,101, which is provided with pattern jacks for selecting needles for wrapping as shown in the Page Patent No. 1,906,204, only such parts of the machine being shown as is necessary to illustrate 'the invention. A machine of the type shown is arranged to the top and having a double walled welt of plain fabric, a ribbed fabric top, a plain fabric leg and instep with embroidery patterns thereon and a, heel and toe and is provided with the usual cylinder and dial having needles for knitting the plain and ribbed fabrics. It is also provided with a web holder ring having alternately arranged plain and toothed web holders w and w respectively, which are operated to cooperate with the needles at the throat-plate where the cylinder the usual knitting cams I, 351 and 360 to take and knit the body yarn fed from the yarn feed F. As shown in Figure 10 the cylinder cam ring would have a cam H for drawing the needles below the feeding level of the auxiliary yarn finger 20, a cam III for lowering the long butt needles during the knitting of a double sole, cams H2 and H3 for raising and lowering, respectively, selected needjlles e usual transfer cam H4 and the switchcams I and H5 which perform their usual functions in raising and lowering the long butt needles for the heel and toe and such cams as are movable knit half-hose beginning at are operated in the usual manner. The halfhose knit in accordance with this invention comprises, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, a double walled plain fabric welt W and a ribbed fabric top T, both knit'in the manner'usual with this type of machine but having an elastic thread R engaged at wales of the welt and top during the knitting thereof. The plain knit leg L and instep I may have embroidery or wrap patterns thereon, as indicated diagrammatically at P, and with the heel H, double sole S and toe U are knit in the usual manner.

To engagethe elastic thread R in the'fabric there is provided a feed for the elastic thread comprising a yarn guide member 28 slidably mounted in a bracket I9 supported by the bed plate B. To operate the guide member 28 there is provided a bent lever 2I pivotally mounted on a pin 22 which projects from the bracket I9.

The lever 2I has an arm 23 to which is attached a wire 24 which projects through an opening in an ear or flange 28' on the yarn guide member 20 and has stop members 23' secured thereon on opposite sides of the ear or flange 28' in position to engage therewith and shift the member 28 to and from the needles n. The lever 2I is also formed with an arm 25, extending atan angle to the arm 23, to which is attached one end of a Bowden wire 26 the opposite end of which is connected to an arm of a bell crank lever 42 which is pivotally mounted on the machine frame E and has an arm positioned to be engaged by a cam 48 mounted on a drum 32 fixed on the shaft 34 which supports and rotates with the main pattern drum (not shown). A spring 36 secured to an extension 25 of the arm 25 and to the machine frame tends to operate the lever -2I to shift the guide member 28 to non-feeding position and, through the Bowden wire 26 helps to hold the lever 42 in engagement with the cam 48 or drum 32. The levers and their connections are so arranged that during the passage of the cam 48 beneath the lever 42 the yarn guide member 28 is held in yarn feeding position.

The elastic thread R when it is withdrawn from the needles by the movement of the yarn guide member 28 is positioned to be engaged by a cutting and clamping mechanism 38 operated from the drum 32 by means of a cam 30 thereon which engages an arm of a lever 28 pivotally mounted on the same supporting pin as the lever 42 .and having its other arm connected by .a Bowden wire 44 with the operating arm of the cutting and clamping mechanism 38. The cams and levers are so arranged that the cutting and clamping mechanism is operated to release the end of the elastic thread shortly after the elastic thread is presented to the needles and to cut and clamp the elastic thread upon its withdrawal from the needles.

The guide member 28 is arranged to feed the elastic thread to the needles in advance of the throat plate or feeding point for the main or body yarn and, as in this arrangement it is desired to have selected needles take the elastic yarn in their hooks, long butts are provided on selected ones of the intermediate or short jacks 49, every fourth jack in the arrangement shown, and a cam 48 is provided to engage beneath the long butts on the intermediate jacks and raise both the jacks and associated needles to position the needles to take the elastic thread. The cam 48 is fixed on a lever 58 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 52 fixed in the machine frame. A link 54 connects the lever 58 to a lever 56 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 58 carried by the machine frame and connected by a link 68 to the crank arm 62 (see Fig. 5) on shaft 64 by which the cam I83 is operated to select, through the pattern jacks I84, the cylinder needles for the make-up or starting course. The crank arm 62 is connected to the cam I83 as by the link 66 and lever 68 and is operated by an arm I8 fixed on the shaft 64 and engaged by cams 12 on the main pattern drum I28. The arrangement of cams and levers is such that cams I83 and 48 are rendered operative simultaneously and inoperative simultaneously. In this type of machine the cam I83 is in use during the knitting of the welt and the ribbed top so that selected needles are raised during these operations to take the elastic thread.

' To draw down the needles which have been raised to take the elastic thread there is provided a cam I4 carried by an arm 16 pivotally mounted on a pin I8 fixed in the bed plate B. A spring 88 attached to an extension of the arm I6 and to a member 82 biases the arm 16 to a position in which the cam I4 engages butts on the raised needles and draws them down. The member 82 is fixed to a bracket 84 and overlies the pin I8 and arm I6, serving to retain the arm on the pin. To operate the arm 16 the extension 25' of the lever arm 25 is provided with an adjustable contact member 259 so positioned as to engage the extension of the arm I6 and operate the arm I6 against the action of the spring 88 to withdraw the cam 14 from the needles when the lever 2I is operated to retract the member 28 and withdraw the elastic thread from the needles. Conversely, when the lever 2| operates the slide 28 to present the elastic thread to the needles the contact member 25 is withdrawn from the extension of the arm 16 and the spring 88 operates the arm 16 to position the cam I4 to draw down the needles.

The needles d of the dial D are retracted as they pass the member 20 which feeds the elastic thread to the cylinder needles so the dial needles do not take the elastic thread. The plain web holders w, however, are at their inward position and in this position the elastic thread would engage on the nebs of the web holders 20 when the needles are drawn down. The toothed web holders w may be pressed outwardly somewhat by their engagement with the fabric but to prevent the elastic thread engaging on the nebs of any of the web holders there is provided a cam 86 which is pivotally mounted in the web holder cam cap 388 and connected by link or wire 88 to a member 98 pivotally mounted on a pin 92 fixed in the bracket I9 and having an ear or flange 98' positioned to be engaged by the extension 25 of the lever arm 25. The arrangement of these parts is such that the cam 86 is operated to engage and retract the web holders when the lever 2I is operated to move the member 28 inwardly to present the yarn to the needles. The cam 86 holds the web holders retracted while the raised needles are drawn down after taking the elastic thread so that the elastic thread is engaged with the web holders below the nebs thereof and thereupon a cam 92 fixed on the upper surface of the web holder cam cap 388 engages the butts w of the web holders w moving'these web holders inwardly and engaging the elastic thread beneath the nebs of the web holders so that the elastic thread is held down and passes below the latches of the needles which took it when the needles are raised 76 in the usual way to take and knit the body yarn at the main knitting or stitch cams 38I, 351 and 360. 'Ihe toothed web holders w when released by the cam 86 are returned by the usual spring means to apply tension to the fabric as shown in the Scott Patent No. 1,641,101.

In the operation of the machine described the stockings can be knit separately, each completed stocking dropping from the machine or they can be knit in a string, being connected by courses of a draw thread which permits of the stockings being readily cut apart. These draw thread courses are knit on the alternate cylinder needles which are active during the knitting of thewelt and the ribbed top also. At this time the cams I00 and I03 are in operative position, the cam I00 pressing inwardly the tops of the pattern jacks I04 while the cam I03 engages butts on alternate jacks and presses the bottoms of the jacks inwardly so that the jacks with the butts pass behind the cam 366 while the remaining jacks which have no butts to be engaged by the cam I03 engage the cam 366 and are raised thereby to raise the needles in the slots therewith to take the body yarn and knit in the usual knitting wave. The cam 48 is rendered operative with the movement of cam I03 to operative position and raises every fourth intermediate jack 49 but this action is an idle one as the yarn finger for the elastic thread is not at this time in operative position and all the cylinder needles are being raised by the clearing cam I06 to insure that the inactive needles do not take and retain a loop. The raised needles are brought down by the draw down cam I05 into position to engage the dividing cam I08 and alternate needles are raised by the jacks i04 to take the yarn and knit as stated. These needles pass above the dividing cam I08 and the knitting cam I while the remaining cylinder needles are brought down by the dividing cam I08. After a sufficient number of courses of the draw thread has been knit, racking of the pattern drum brings the dial needles d into action with the active alternate cylinder needle for one revolution, the dial needles taking bights of the yarn during the one revolution to form, with the active cylinder needles, the make-up or starting course and then being withdrawn to hold the big hts of yarn taken while the welt is knittai upon active alternate cylinder needles. No change is made in the cams operating the cylinder needles until the dial needles are withdrawn after the one revolution and then the clearing cam I06 is also withdrawn and the draw down cam I I0 is inserted so as to bring down the needles for selection for the taking of the elastic thread. The knitting of the welt continues the same as the knitting of the courses of the draw thread except that now the intermediate jacks 49 operate the selected needles in an idle movement at the elastic thread feed until, after a suitable number of courses of the welt has been knit racking of the pattern drum causes the yarn feeding member 20 to be operated to present the elastic thread to the needles. yarn feeding member 20 also causes the web holder cam 86 to be rendered operative to draw out the web holders so the elastic thread will be engaged beneath the nebs of the plain web holders when they are moved inwardly by the fixed cam 92. Operation of the yarn feeding member 20 also permits the cam 14 to be moved'to operative position so that the needles raised to Operation of the take elastic thread by the jacks 49 selected by the cam 48 are now drawn down by the cam 14 and loops of the elastic thread are measured over the web holders. The same racking of the pattern drum also operates the cutting and clamping mechanism to release the end of the elastic thread held thereby as the elastic thread is taken by the needles.

The selection of the needles for taking and knitting the body yarn is not changed and as the alternate cylinder needles are raised by the pattern jacks I04 the elastic thread, being heneath the nebs of the web holders, is kept from rising with the needles so that it passes below the latches of the needles which took it and is not knit but is cast off at the knitting wave. The alternate cylinder needles which did not take the elastic thread but which are raised to take the body yarn come up in front of the elastic thread so that the elastic thread is interlaced with the cylinder needles before the body yarn is taken in each revolution. The cylinder needles not selected to take the body yarn also come up in front of the elastic thread, being raised by cam II! but are drawn down by the dividing cam I08.

After a. sufiicient number of courses of the welt has been knitted with the elastic thread laid therein, racking of the pattern drum causes the dial needles to be rendered active to take the body yarn with the active cylinder needles and knit ribbed fabric. In the first course of this ribbed fabric the loops taken by the dial needles in the make-up course are interlooped therewith, joining the end courses of the welt. No change in the operation of the cylinder needles is made with the introduction of the dial needies for knitting ribbed fabric so the elastic thread continues to be interlaced with the active cylinder needles and engaging the elastic thread beneath the nebs of the web holders causes the elastic thread to be held beneath the dial needles and not engaged thereby. The elastic thread is cast off at the knitting wave without being knit as in the knitting of the welt.

After a suflicient number of courses of the ribbed fabric has been knitted with the elastic thread laid therein racking of the pattern drum causes the member 20 to be operated to withdraw the elastic thread from the needles and the cutting and clamping means to be operated to cut and clamp the elastic thread. Withdrawing the member 20 causes the cam 86 operating the web holders to be moved inwardly from operative position and thecam I4 to be withdrawn. The cam 48 remains in operative position but, with the elastic thread withdrawn, the movement of the selected needles is an idle one and the needles are drawn down by the cam IIO for selection by the jacks I04 as previously described.

The knitting of ribbed fabric continues in the usual manner until the transfer course is reached and the change is made to the knitting of plain fabric. Upon completion of the transfer course the cams 48 and I03 are withdrawn and the knitting of the fabric of the leg and the rest of the stocking proceeds in the usual manner, cam I00 rocking the jacks for selection of the needles to be wrapped.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a stocking in accordance with this invention comprises the plain fabric welt W in which the elastic thread R. is interlaced with loops of the fabric so as to cross the sinker loops between adjacent needle wales while lying wholly at the back of the fabric.

Owing to the turning of the welt in the making thereof the elastic thread is at the inner face of the wall of 'the welt. The stocking also comprises the ribbed fabric T in which the elastic thread R is interlaced with the cylinder needle wales as in the plain fabric welt W and lies on the face of the dial needle wales opposite to the face of the cylinder needle wales on which it lies. the elastic thread is engaged with the loops of successive courses in successive cylinder needle Wales, that is, the elastic thread is engaged with the loops of course i in wales c and g and with the loops of course h in wale e, an arrangement which secures the elastic thread in the fabric and prevents it from creeping in case it is broken. The stocking may also comprise the embroidery or wrap patterns P on the plain fabric leg L which is knit on all the cylinder needles. The embroidery patterns may extend to the instep as shown in Figure 12. The stocking may also comprise a double sole S and the usual heel H and toe U.

The fabric shown and described is not claimed herein as it is claimed in the divisional application Serial No. 287,377, filed July 29, 1939.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated needles arranged in a plurality of groups, yarn feeding means and means for operating said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively, of means for feeding an auxiliary thread and means to operate needles of one of said groups to interlace said auxiliary thread with the needles of said one group but not knit, said auxiliary thread during the knitting of plain and rib fabrics.

2. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated needles arranged in a plurality of groups, yarn feeding means and means for operating said needles to knit a plain fabric welt and a ribbed fabric stocking top successively, of means for feeding an auxiliary thread and means to operate needles of one of said groups to interlace said auxiliary thread with the needles of said one group but not knit said auxiliary thread during the knitting of said welt and top.

3. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, yarn feeding means and means to operate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively, of means for feeding an auxiliary thread and means for operating said cylinder needles to interlace said auxiliary thread therewith but not knit said auxiliary thread during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabrics.

4. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, yarn feeding means and means to operate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively, of means for feeding an elastic thread to the cylinder needles and means for interlacing said elastic thread with the cylinder needles in advance of the knitting wave during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric.

5. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, yarn feeding means and means to operate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively, of means for feeding an elastic thread, means for selecting cylinder needles to take the elastic thread in their hooks, means for selecting cylinder needles including the cylinder needles which took the elastic thread for taking a body yarn and means for interlacing the elastic thread In the rib fabric, as in the plain fabric,

with the cylinder needles selected to take the body yarn in advance of the knitting wave during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric. V

6. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, yarn feeding means and means to operate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively of means for feeding an elastic thread, means for selecting cylinder needles to take the body yarn at the knitting wave and means for interlacing the elastic thread with the selected cylinder needles in advance of the knitting wave during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric.

7. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, yarn feeding means and means to operate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics successively, of means for feeding an elastic thread, means for selecting cylinder needles to take the elastic thread, means operating said selected cylinder needles to draw loops of the elastic thread over the sinkers, means selecting cylinder needles to take a body yarn and means operating sinkers to hold and interlace the elastic thread below the latches of the cylinder needles selected to take the body yarn in advance of the knitting wave during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric.

8. In a method of knitting on a circular knitting machine a fabric having plain and ribbed fabric portions of non-elastic yarn the steps of interlacing an elastic thread with the cylinder needles in advance of the knitting wave and casting off the elastic thread without knitting the same at the knitting wave in the knitting of both the plain and ribbed fabric portions.

9. In a method of knitting on a circular knitting machine a fabric having plain and ribbed fabric portions of non-elastic yarn the steps feeding an elastic thread to the hooks of selected cylinder needles in advance of the knitting wave, drawing loops of the elastic thread over the web holders, holding said elastic thread with the web holders while raising cylinder needles to interlace the elastic thread with the raised cylinder needles below the latches thereof and casting off the elas-' tic thread at the knitting wave in the knitting of both the plain and ribbed fabric portions.

10. In a method of knitting on a circular knitting machine a stocking having a plain fabric welt and a ribbed fabric top of non-elastic yarn the steps of feeding an elastic thread to the hooks of selected cylinder needles in advance of the knitting wave, drawing loops of elastic thread over the web holders, raising cylinder needles and interlacing the elastic thread with the raised cylinder needles below the latches thereof and casting off the elastic thread at the knitting wave in the knitting of both the welt and the top.

11. The combination with a knitting machine, having independently operated needles in the cylinder and dial, yarn feeding means and means for operating said needles to knit successively a plain fabric welt on selected needles of the cylinder, a ribbed fabric stocking top on the same selected cylinder needles and all the dial needles,

ate said needles to knit plain and ribbed fabrics, means to select cylinder needles to take the body yarn during the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric and means to knit plain fabric on all cylinder needles of means for feeding an elastic thread and means for interlacing the elastic thread with thecylinder needles selected to take the body yarn in advance of the knitting wave in the knitting of plain and ribbed fabrics.

13. The combination with a knitting machine having independently operated cylinder and dial needles, body yarn feeding means, means to operate said needles to knit plain and rib fabric, and means to select alternate cylinder needles to take the body yarn in the knitting of plain and ribbed fabric of means for feeding an elastic thread and means for interlacing the elastic thread with the selected alternate cylinder needles in'advance of the knitting wave in the knitting of plain and ribbed fabrics.

HOWARD GRADY DICKENS. 

